Themes

The Archive

Social Justice

Dr. King addresses a delegation of religious leaders at a conference hosted by the President's Committee on Government Contracts. In this pivotal speech, Dr. King outlines the responsibilites of clergymen and government officials in combating poverty and economic discrimination. He stresses the need for lay leaders and representatives of government to bodly speak out against the vestiges of discrimination that continuously hinder the economic and social progress of Negroes in America.

At their Thirteenth Constitutional Convention in Minneapolis on May 21, 1962, Dr. King praises the United Packinghouse Workers Union of America for their dedication to civil rights. He states that the civil rights and labor movements share in common a concern for minimum wages, social security, health benefits, decent housing, job security and retirement security. He thanks them for the aid that they have provided and encourages them to continue fighting for equality.

This address to the Fall Session of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was delivered in October, 1959, by James McBride Dabbs. Dabbs speaks to the social condition in the United States, highlighting the equality of the races. Arguing that justice is a two way street, Dabbs brings up Dr. King's "Stride Toward Freedom," in which Dr. King defends the Montgomery bus boycott as an essential non-cooperation to show discontent.

Dr. King addresses the audience at the 47th NAACP annual convention in San Francisco, California. King begins with background information of slavery and its physical and mental effects on Africans, then tells the "Montgomery Story." This story begins with a mental transformation among blacks, which led to the Montgomery boycott. As a result of the boycott, blacks were empowered and began fighting injustice and seeking changes in unfair legislation.

Dr. King gives an address at the National Urban Leagues's Golden Anniversary Conference in New York City. He speaks on the subject, "The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness" and discusses the Negroes new sense of "somebodiness." The factors that contribute to this new sense of dignity include a population shift from rural to urban life, rapid educational advance, gradual improvement of economic status, Supreme Court decisions outlawing segregation in the public schools, and awareness that freedom is a part of a world-wide struggle.

Dr. King addresses those in attendance at the Southern Christian Ministers Conference. He brings words of encouragement to those working diligently for social change in Mississippi. He speaks words of promise that things will change since the Supreme Court has ruled segregation unconstitutional and he gives examples of how things are slowly changing. However, he acknowledges that there is still much work to be done, especially in the South. Dr. King lists actions that must be at the top of everyone's list to be taken care of.

This document, an address given by Dr. King on the 30th anniversary of District 65, includes handwritten notes. In the address, Dr. King talks about the importance of the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation to human rights.

In his address to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. King discusses the subject of the "Church on the Frontier of Racial Tension." King describes the crisis state of the US as it passes from an old order of segregation to a new order of integration, proclaiming that this is both a moral issues as well as a political issues. King implores the church to open the channels of communication between races and institute social reform, especially economic justice. Lastly, he invites all people to step into the new age with understanding and creative good will in their hearts.

Dr. King gives an address at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C. regarding race relations and the struggle for justice and racial equality in America. King discusses the responsibility of the President, Congress, and federal courts to ensure all blacks the have the opportunity and the right to vote. King closes by asserting that everyone must stand firm in faith and act only in love and nonviolence in the fight for these rights.

In this speech, Dr. King addresses the Civil Rights Movement and the use of nonviolent demonstration tactics. He distinguishes between civil disobedience, which involves breaking laws that one does not agree with, and nonviolent demonstration, which involves using one's right to protest. He states that nonviolent protest is inherently American, citing examples from the Civil War, the Suffragettes, and the American Jewish Committee's own lobbying from the early 20th Century.

Dr. King addresses the issues of poverty, unemployment, education, health, and housing disparities within the nation. Granted, many strides have been made but there is still more work to be done. Equality has still not come full circle in regards to these social issues. Dr. King urges the people to continue the fight of social justice in all aspects of inequality.

Rabbi Joachim Prinz's address at the March on Washington focuses on the importance of freedom. He relates the struggle that blacks are currently enduring to the Nazism Jews faced during the reign of Hitler.

This address was delivered by Dr. King at the Formation of the Gandhi Society for Human Rights event on May 17, 1962. Dr. King opens by discussing various anniversaries that coincide with the event and represent similar struggles for justice including the Supreme Court school desegregation ruling, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Henry David Thoreau's death.

This is the text of an address given by Vice President Richard Nixon before the sixty-sixth annual convention of the General Federation of Women's Club. He discusses the differences in countries dealing with Communism and America being a democracy.

This document contains the text of an address given by Vice President Richard Nixon at the Joint Defense Appeal of the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith. He expresses what can be done and what laws should be passed to make sure others are not further abused.

Jerome P. Cavanagh, Mayor of Detroit, delivers this speech before the Office of Economic Opportunity Urban Areas Conference, Great Lakes Region. The conference is dedicated to sharing experiences in the War on Poverty and taking a realistic assessment on the issues in urban areas. Inadequate education, food, housing, and disjointed welfare systems are major problems of concern. Cavanagh encourages the analysis of programs addressing these situations. He also advocates an understanding of federal aid cutbacks and connects insufficient funds to the Vietnam War and space exploration.

Dr. King speaks to the District 65 AFL-CIO to address the importance of job opportunities in the northern and southern regions of the United States. He explains that the labor movement must stay active in order to gain civil rights and equal pay for African American workers.

Dr. King discusses the Negro's dilemma in an address to the members of the Hungry Club in Atlanta, Georgia. He argues that some of the challenges facing the Negro are: taking advantage of all the new federal programs, encouraging youth to go into higher education, and developing massive action programs to rid unjust systems. Dr. King also states three myths the Negro should explore: the myth of time, the myth of "exaggerated progress," and the myth of "total reliance on the boothstrap philosophy."

Dr. King discusses the inequality in America and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He says that he will work to eliminate discrimination in Montgomery and he encourages the audience to participate and actively seek change as well.